sdawg17
Junior Member
My friend just got a bandit (and had only been riding for two weeks.. found that out a little bit later) so I invited him to ride with me. Seeing that he had ridden some short twisties I suggested the Ortegas. We make it up one direction and he seems fine, so I go ahead and enjoy the twisties a little faster on the way down... Eventually, I pull over and wait for him about halfway down. Minutes pass.. this is the worst feeling.. thinking "I hope he didn't crash".. then I see a car come and pull up behind me. The driver gets out and asks me if I was riding with a friend on a red bike. Was he dead? Conscious? Scariest few seconds of my life, he said he was okay, but the bike was off to the shoulder and he was laying there with it for now. He lost confidence going through one of those turns that suddenly gets sharper mid way, braked too hard, hit gravel on the opposite side and the bike slid. Forks were bent irreparably, handle bar snapped, lots of damage. the bike is salvage. He had a huge gash on his side, torn with a sinewous texture to the area... lots of dirt and gravel in it too. had to get major stitches there as well as a deep gash on the knee. The officer that responded along with two firetrucks said "this road is for experienced riders only. two weeks is NEVER enough time".. I can't explain how guilty I feel. Why the hell did I think that he'd be fine on this road? It didn't even cross my mind that he might not be ready yet. He took msf and has been riding every day doing fine and had done other roads similar in difficulty.. I don't get it. Anyways, be safe. He kept saying that he's just glad to be alive.